🔹 The isolate (Staphylococcus aureus) is showing characteristics of a Small Colony Variant (SCV). SCVs are slow-growing subpopulations that form tiny, non-pigmented, non-hemolytic colonies with altered metabolism and specific auxotrophies (commonly for hemin, menadione, or thymidine). This explains: 🔹 Barely visible colonies after overnight incubation 🔹 Growth only visible after prolonged incubation (4 days) 🔹 Better growth when Mueller-Hinton agar is supplemented with blood, which provides